After a question was posted on the Forums regarding Gord Fraser's apparent non-inclusion in Mercury-Viatel's upcoming European campaign, we contacted him and got the following immediate response:

" I'm leaving in one hour for Europe! First up for me is Criterium International, then 3 Days of De Panne, Flanders, Ghent-Wevelgem, Paris-Roubaix (although my wrist might not be 100% yet and I might have to skip this). Next up is Veenendaal-Veenendaal, GP l'Escault,GP Frankfurt and finally 4 Days of Dunkirk!

I should be home mid-May to rest up for the Philadelphia week. "

Good luck Gord.

Controversial B.C. Radio Ad

This story also came out of a Forum posting - Craftsman Collision Ad. If you have not read the thread, what it involves is a radio ad which thanks all the red light running, stop sign running cyclists who have sent business Craftsman's way.

We decided to follow up on this story, and contacted both Craftsman and the creative agency, Colbert Creative Communication. We struck out at Craftsman - the marketing department are all out of town at a conference - but spoke with Jim Colbert at Colbert Creative Communication. He sent a response:

Thanks for alerting me to the reaction of the Craftsman Collision ad, 'Suicyclist,' that is part of our most recent addition to our long-running radio campaign.

We are frankly flabbergasted by the reaction, and believe the individual who started it has completely missed the point. I want to emphasize that the ad is NOT targeted at cyclists, it is targeted at cyclists who recklessly ignore the rules of the road and put themselves and everyone around them in danger.

The ad is one of part of our tongue-in-cheek 'Bad Driver Awards' ads that have been airing since 1992, and which lampoon road users who choose to ignore common courtesy and the legal rules of the road. Other commercials in the campaign include 'Hotfoot' (Stephan de Gaz), who runs yellow lights; 'Look Ma, No Hands' (Bert Blatherwell), who talks on his cellphone while driving; 'If Looks Could Kill' (Narcissa Vain), who puts her makeup on while she is driving, 'Marathon Man' (Bill Dozer) who drives while tired, etc.

There are 17 commercials in all, 16 of which target car drivers who ignore the rules of the road and common courtesy. This one happens to target irresponsible and reckless cyclists.

As one who bikes daily to work, and who has been in two accidents with cars, I am all too aware of the vulnerability of cyclists! I am also aware that as a group, our vulnerability increases every time one cyclist chooses to openly disregard the rules of the road - by running traffic lights, not using lights at night, not wearing a helmet, and other forms of dangerous behaviour - and diminish respect for all cyclists.